How_It_Works_Issue_99_2017

TECHNOLOGY
4D cinemas appeal to your
sense of touch and smell as
well as sight and hearing
4D cinemas
Why just watch a ilm when tech can help you feel it!
Imagine if while watching an adrenalinefuelled
car chase on screen, your seat tilted as
the vehicle careered around a corner and the
smell of burning rubber illed your nostrils.
Then as the movie’s hero escapes on a jet ski, you
too feel the wind blowing through your hair and
the spray of seawater on your face as they ride
of. This is the experience made possible by
custom-built 4D cinemas, which are equipped
with high-tech features that make you feel as
though you are a part of the action on-screen.
As well as showing the movie in 3D, making
the characters appear to leap out at you, a ‘fourth
dimension’ is added through the simulation of
various physical efects such as movement,
wind, rain and even smells that are
programmed to perfectly synchronise with the
action as it happens. These special cinemas have
been appearing in theme parks since the 1980s,
showing movies created speciically to make use
of 4D elements, but now they are being
introduced in regular cinemas, too, allowing you
to experience the latest blockbusters in a new
and more exhilarating way.
So what about 5D, 6D and all the other
dimensions some cinemas are boasting they can
deliver? Well before you get excited that you
might be able to star in the movies yourself, the
number is actually just an unoficial marketing
ploy referring to the amount of physical efects
the cinema can create, so you will need to stay
irmly in your seat for now.
Wind machines
Powerful fans simulate strong winds
or a gentle breeze and enhance the
feeling of high-speed movement.
3D movie
When wearing special glasses, the
three-dimensional stereoscopic film
appears to pop out of the screen.
Sprinklers
Water rains down
from the ceiling or
sprays out of jets
in the back of the
seat in front of you.
Immersive effects
Discover how 4D cinemas add an extra
dimension to the movie-going experience
Back ticklers
The seat vibrates and jets
of air tickle your neck to
simulate on-screen action.
Diffuser
Various scents can
be released to
recreate the smells
of the environments
depicted on-screen.
Fog machine
A dense vapour is
emitted into the room
to simulate atmospheric
fog or smoke.
Leg ticklers
A device located beneath the seat
brushes against your leg to simulate
creatures crawling around your feet.
Moving seats
A hydraulic platform
causes your seat to
heave, roll and pitch
corresponding to the
action on screen.
© Thinkstock; Illustration by The Art Agency / Barry Croucher
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